Rich Silva

RSD Super Hooligan J&P Cycles Hooligan Amateur Champion

Hey Rich,

Welcome to Flat Track News! Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions so that our readers can learn a little more about you.

To get things started, who is Rich Silva?

Where are you from?

What do you do?

The first highlight was getting a bike to race!!! The next highlight was racing The 1 Moto show in Portland and coming in 2nd overall and 1 st for the RSD series. You have to keep in mind that I just started racing flat track 2 years ago. I did not grow up on dirt bikes nor did any type of racing until 2 years ago. I raced the last 2 years on my 1978 Yamaha TT500 at the Southern California Flat Track Association (SCFTA) in Perris CA. This is our home track, where we learned how to race.

My stepdad Mark and my mom would come out and watch the races sometimes. When they came to the races, they got to watch all the different classes, one being the Hooligan class. My step dad Mark asked, “Why don’t you race the Hooligan class”. My response was “Those dudes are crazy, besides I can’t afford a second bike to maintain and race”. He told me to look for a race ready Hooligan class bike but I completely figured he was yanking my chain. Four or so months go by and he called me and asked if I had found a bike yet? My response was, “I thought you were joking”. Well, he wasn’t joking and we worked out a deal, a budget and we were on the prowl for a Harley Davidson Sportster to race the Hooligan Class. I found one on Craigslist within a few days that happened to belong to Scott Jones & Brandon Gonzales of Noise Cycles. We bought the bike from them, making some cosmetic changes and we were well on our way to give it a shot.

I just decided to give Hooligan racing a try and I never imagined ever reaching the podium at a race.

What are your plans for the 2020 race season?

My 2020 bike plans quickly got out of control! It went from a mild upgrade to, fuck it lets do it all! We have my bike down to the frame... The motor and transmission are getting some much needed TLC and I got an entire new look and some performance parts for the bike - you can check it out at the races. As of today Jan 13th I just picked up the frame and other miscellaneous parts from powder coat, the bike needs to be back together with the new top end broken in by the end of January. This would allow some time to spin some laps on the new set up. It’s not as stressful as it would have been last year. Last year I did all the work on my bike with the help of some friends. This year I have teamed up with Biggs Harley Davidson in San Marcos CA and luckily for me they have agreed to tear the bike down and reassemble it for me as part of the sponsorship. It’s exciting to have my friend and race team mate Dan Ito who works at Biggs, also working on my bike under the Biggs Harley Davidson name.

I am moving up to the Super Hooligan class and out of the Amateur class for the 2020 season. I was not forced to do this, it was my decision. The only plan I have for the 2020 race season is to make one main event. The Super Hooligan class has fast racers! So making a main event would be a huge accomplishment for me.

What race & track are you looking forward to the most?

I am looking forward to the Sturgis half mile. The Sturgis half mile was not a RSD series race but we raced on the half mile last year when we were out in Sturgis for the RSD series race out there. Brittany Olsen puts on The Spirit of Sturgis race at the Historic Sturgis Half mile. The larger tracks are a lot of fun. You get to really open the bike up and attempt to make strategic passes on larger tracks. Ok, back to the question. I am looking forward The 1 Moto Show, Costa Mesa, Nitro Circus - let’s just say all the races!

Will we ever get to see Marissa racing against you in the Hooligan class?

For those of you reading this, Marissa is my wife who also races flat track on a 1972 Honda XL250 that sits in a Champion Frame. She does not show any interest in racing on the Sportster. She rode it once and I think the weight factor scared her a bit. We did get to race each other in Carson City, CA this past year, in the Vintage class. That was fun and she has gotten damn fast!

If you had to choose one, Fat Mexican On A Little Harley or The Common Mans racer?

Who said fat!?!?! I created the hashtag #bigmexicanonasmallharley to track my race season photos on Instagram. Common Man racer came from Meatball at Hell On Wheels. He describes the love, the working class racers have. Doing it for the pure love/fun of it.

Hahaha! Sorry Rich.

Which bike is more fun to ride: Hooligan or Framer?

I enjoy riding both bikes. My framer is so light it’s a completely different animal. It definitely tracks better than the Harley but I’m still getting used to it. For some reason I feel more comfortable on the Sportster, even though I’m typically fighting to control it 96% of the time. Maybe it’s the bike to body mass weight ratio haha!! I just like two wheels. Most of the time I’m just trying to hang onto the bike out there on the track. This year I made a deal with SENA. They are providing me with a helmet camera that will also record the audio in my helmet audio. I’ll be creating a you tube channel and editing the videos of each race. The audio should be entertain to say the least. You will most likely hear a lot of “oh shit, oh shit, hang on, fuck, breathe, breathe, fuck, shit shit , breathe”. Ill post the YouTube channel on my Instagram once it’s created. Make sure to check in and give it a follow.

To answer your question. Forever Two Wheels.

Do you have any advice for someone looking to get into the sport?

If you are local to Southern California, get yourself a cheap dirt bike, something like a CRF150 or XR100 and go race a Hell On Wheels race! They have a class for all bikes and skill levels. Marissa and I both started out 3 years ago on XR100s and took them to all the Hell on Wheels Races. That’s where we learned to ride on dirt.

If you are not local to Southern California, go get a smaller cheap dirt bike, go find and empty lot and start riding

Who would you like to thank?

• Huge thanks to Meatball and the Hell on Wheels crew. If it wasn’t for them Marissa and I would have never started racing.
• Dwayne Locke for taking us under his wing at SCFTA our first day out at practice.
• Hooligan Jesus – Chris Wiggins. When I had my doubts about entering the Hooligan class, he assured me I would do fine and was always there to answer any of my questions.
• Robert Bush for all the pointers and set up help.
• Shawn & Ken of BFMC Racing for answering the million questions we always have.
• Jim Ottele for hauling my bike all over the country this past season.
• Thanks to Jake Pope for making the pass on Tony Parent in the main at the Moto Beach Classic. I am told this is what clinched 1 st place for me in the points series.
• Thanks to my wife for her endless support and assistance in the garage.
• All of you who bought my T-shirts.
• Lastly my step dad Mark Levy. Without his wild idea and support, none of this would have ever happened.

A huge shout out to the companies and people who supported my 2019 race endeavors.

@lowbrowcustoms @biltwell @lawtigers @lawtigerscalifornia @shinkotires @rickybongos @racetechinc @evssports @goodtimesracingfamily @maximausa @luko208 @sk_machine @ito_71 @vonzipper @huckleberrybrand @taylorfabrication @lopemanmotorsports @klasscycles @roxspeedfx @mikametals @hellonwheelsmc @inlandmarine @ajl_414 @bishops.co @matrixconcepts Mark Levy

Rich Silva: @richsilva221 @goodtimesracingfamily

Motorcycle: 2002 Harley Davidson Sportster, 1978 Champion/Redline Yamaha TT500

Photos provided by Rich Silva